The Mists of Ravenloft

So here we are, stuck in Strahd’s castle. After making our way through to this room of bones and smashing up the dining table, I will say I am feeling a bit uneasy. Strahd has just seemingly left us to our own devices in his castle, although I’m sure he must be watching (probably from that giant creepy dragon skull up there on the roof). Aldrin managed to catch up with the suspicious servant walking around though and both him and (Mini) got him to do some talking (through the power of magic, because otherwise I don’t think he was going to say very much for fear of Strahd knocking his block off). We managed to get some information on where to find Strahd’s weak point, but he also showed us to the kitchen, which turned out to more likely be one of many kitchens, as there was only one way in or out and all it contained was a cauldron with zombies boiling away in it. Sadly two of the peasants we met while we were down here were just too weak and fell to the zombies. But alas we had to move on; the peasants dying along the way was somewhat suspected if you ask me… It’s wonderful that they wanted to come and help take down Strahd but I even worry how we’re going to survive this place let alone some villagers with minimal (if any) weapons.

We found our way to a room with a closet, a real one and one with a hidden door. On opening the real closet a wedding dress flew out and began dancing around the room. While this may normally have been comical in ANY other setting, in Strahd’s castle it is purely unsettling. Irena began to feel uncomfortable and began crying. I am certain that this wedding dress had something to do with her past life/her old soul (or whatever the deal may be). And we really don’t want Strahd getting to Irena because I’m sure he must know how to play on all of her insecurities and her mind. I’m actually surprised at this point that he hasn’t made more of a confrontation with us. He must be up to absolutely no good.

On entering the hidden door behind the other closet in the room, we found our way into a tower. This tower had gigantic stairs and ramps winding their way up around the edge, and at the top in the ceiling was a suspended, beating heart, a massive one. We figured this must have something to do with Strahd and could be a potential weak point. Although why does it seem to be in such a bleedingly obvious place and why hasn’t he come to stop us from reaching it? The heart was definitely trying. Which each heart beat the stairs shook, the ramps would rumble, and we lost our final peasant on the way. Not only this, but the rope we used to tie ourselves together caused some difficulties… and we sadly lost our newest member of our little group (Jason) as he plumetted to the bottom of the tower. Now, we keep making our way up. I guess we’ll see what happens from here. I’m sure Strahd must be just around the corner.

After the three hags left Aldryn Smithson went through the rest of bone grinder tower with the help of Amoret found two small children that had been locked away in the tower and a interesting tree branch that seemed to bleed when cut. After getting the children out the gang set the whole tower ablaze to try and burn it down but it seemed to try and rebuild itself as it did so. After trying to destory the branch in the inferno the children said that it belonged to the man in the forest.

A quick trip into the forest they were lead to a tree that looked like it had a face in and a heartbeat coming from with in. After reattaching the branch with some healing magic a man by the name of Ryndal Wyatt feel out. Although he had been sent to find the other knights he had not been expecting them for 50 more years before he had been imprisoned in the tree by the local Blight Druids.

The gang decided they needed extra supplies if they were ever going to make it to castle Ravenloft with the strength to fight the devil Strad. So they agreed a short trip to Jenny Greenteeth was in order. Jenny agreed to give them the supplies they needed but at the price of Ryndal deepest darkness fear and the chance to stare into his eyes in silence for a time (in which he believes she cheated by doesn’t know in what way). During the whole confrontation Amoret was acting strangely even for one who was forced to face the woman who had kidnapped her as a child.

Upon leaving Jenny house the heroes found themselves the base of Barovia with Strad coach waiting for them. Given no other option they entered and were taken to Castle Ravenloft. After a quick walk into the dinning room the meet Strad who ran away before dinner and trapped the party with his huge evil domain. The party then went about exploring trying to find the room that Strad wont look into. They came across many strange things such as a room of mirrors with a mirror each prefect for a member of the order, a man wrapped in webs, a bone table that was meant to contain a holy symbol used to fight Strad. Where they go from here who knows but they in the greatest spot to fight the Devil now and end this evil once and for all.

The Light shall always defeat the darkness

So we rested up in Mordenkainens hidden sanctuary after fixing whatever Strahd did to him. We agreed to help him get revenge on Strahd if he helped us with defeating Strahd, he was also interested in our Prophecies from Madam Eva which we couldn’t remember exactly so he also asked us to go find her and get her to repeat her prophecies to us, so he could know and help us work out anything important in them. I also asked him to help me identify exactly what the sword ‘Wolfs Eater’ was and did. Mordenkainen told me that it was a sword particularily good against Lycanthropes, but not against actual wolves as the name implied and that it needed to be bathed in blood each day or i would not be able to sleep well that night. With that information, I rebonded to it and we set prepared ourselves to leave. Mordenkainen teleported us close to the Wizards of Wine so we could check up on and pick up Ireena. She was well and the Were Ravens had looked after her. But Aldryns horse was back to being skeletal which worried us about what the crazed angel had actually done to the Mayors son he had brought back………… But we put that away for now, trying to chase after too many things meant we were less effective, as we headed out to go deal with the Druid problem and get the special ‘wine gem’ they had stolen back a letter was dropped off to us from Strahd, it was an invitation to dinner at his Castle with a promise of no trouble along the way and that he was expecting us and looking forward to it, in the end a majority of us voted to ignore it for now and do some other tasks first to prepare ourselves before walking into the obvious trap.

As we headed towards the druids we were beset upon by packs of wolves and they wouldn’t stop we all kind of guessed that this was Strahds way of telling us to go to his castle and see him and to stop being rude and ignoring his invitation but at this point we all decided to go fuck him, We as holy knights had a job to do and we were going to do it, so we continued forward slaying the wolves to the last. Also along this journey we came across some sort of horrible Vampire Trees that had a victim inside them to nourish them and when you killed or injured them the person inside would also suffer that fate and their seemed to be no way around it, it was a harrowing experience and one that i am not likely to ever truly get over.

Arriving at the hill where the druids lived we decided to quickly rest and recover ourselves before assaulting their camp. As we rested Amoret seemed to be distracted by something and as we prepared to head out she was like guys there is something nearby that is calling out to me, so Amoret, myself and Naythe decided to go scout out the area while Aldryn waited with Ireena (Solheil was still with Mordenkainen, apparently he wanted to talk to him about something). As we scouted we followed Amoret who was apparently still following this voice to a weapon that could possibly help us, but as we approached the main hill we saw this tree with more of those vampire trees around it with a rather interesting axe embedded in its trunk and we saw the druids around something else apparently performing some form of ritual with the gem we had come to recover, and as we prepared to go back and get Aldryn we saw him………. the Lord of This Domain the Devil Strahd riding up towards the Druids on his fiery hell steed, they exchanged words and with not much else we could do at that time the druids finished their ritual and summoned this colossal Tree monster that was like a ‘dead’ Treant and it started lumbering off down the road we had been traveling on to get here. I guessed where it was going immediately and I said we needed to stop it, and as we snuck off back to grab Aldryn, Strahd seemed to be distracted back where he was staring off into this wall of mist that was covering the land and I swore I could just see the outlines of a city in the mists. We grabbed Aldryn and raced off after the ‘Tree’ thing, it was MASSIVE and ad we got closer Aldryn decided to throw a Javelin at it, as it seemed to somewhat feel this spiky thing land in it, it went off the road and into the trees and thats where we lost it briefly but that was enough for it to surprise us and battle ensued its roots caught us up and made it difficult for us to move on the ground but luckily Aldryn was able to get right up next to it and start slashing at it with Solair, and Amoret shot arrows at it and Naythe got beat up by it while buffing and supporting Amoret and Aldryn…….. and I was able to stay at enough of a distance to fire my Eldritch blasts at it. And as we summoned the last remaining vestiges of our strength something happened Solair seemed to cut through a chunk of this things trunk and it exposed the gem at the centre of it the thing that was powering it and as that happened I saw us all, doing our best to fight this thing so that no one else would be harmed or killed by it and as Naythe fell his body beaten and almost broken by this monstrosity, it clicked inside me the powers that i had left unused for several years because of my fear of judgement and hatred from the church that was irrelevant, I have these powers and regardless of what anyone thinks of me because of them I know that I serve Lathander and even if no one else forgives me for what I have done in my past life he has and he embraces and loves me like a son even if the rest of the church would think I am a monster. With that realisation i simply smiled and faded back into the shadows and then as I circled around the tree I surged forward and managed to pry the gem free from its chest and as I did so it stopped and collapsed. And as I landed and clutched the gem in victory I looked around at all my friends and at what we had achieved as a team; Strahd had better watch out because if he wants to be the monster and play with peoples lives, he will learn that not all monsters serve the forces of darkness, some of the scariest ones actually serve the light……..

As we took stock and recovered ourselves we looked around and a chilling realisation came to us Amoret and Ireena where missing…….

Another Day... Another Long Day

It has become hard to feel hopeful in this Harsh place. The days short, the nights long and the terrors forced upon us absurd. An yet, the others insist we persist. The small voice in the back of my mind insists it is the right thing to do. The Just thing is to push on. An truth, i can see it. The Raven Folk at the Vineyard. They need our help. The foul corrupt druids that assault them are a formidable foe, an the Raven Folks goal is just. Yet, we could as easily leave them. Their problems are not mine. Someone will die, or some foul thing will force its will on us.

Cease this whining. The only way to defeat the dark is to move through it to the dawn. The only way to bring light is to share it. YOUKNOWTHIS!

So the voice insists. So persistant. Be hopeful. Fight the foul things. You are stuck here arent you. Yet, even the safe places of this mad hell are filled with foulness. With Madness no less. For instance, the town of Krezt seems nice enough at first. Its even the home of an angel of my Lord. The abbott hes known as. He’s mad though. Thinks the ultimate evil of this foul place is redeemable. Heh. The voice will persist, but the reality of my life is that i have never truly had a choice. Sure, i could turn back from a foe, but then it will surely kill me. I can run, leaving my fellows to die, but then i will surely be caught. Theres no value in flight if it achieves nothing. I never chose this life in Lathander’s service. It was thrust upon me with food and warm clothes. A child cannot say nay to that. Yet here i am. Continuely pretending that i have a choice in things. That the cruel gambles of fate wont take away my life on a whim. The proverbial one of a dice roll could snuff out my life. Just as Olo’s was taken from him in the most arbitrary of nonsense situations. Hell, even that sits on my shoulders now. Take the Mad Abbott. Faced with that, what could we do but leave. He was not actively evil, just a fool. No reason to fight something so mad. Yet had he forced a fight over a few careless words our choices would have meant nothing. Just as well we walked away when we did then.

Why do you whine so when all you must do is solve your problems. You stand there talking of fate when all you must do is succeed. Is it so unreasonable to expect you do your duty, whether it was your choice to take it on or not

Heh. Then there was Esmerelda. Telling us of the Devils ability to scry on someone if he had something of theres. All this after she nonchalantly lead us into an insane trap. Consistency is not this place’s strong suit. Still, the coat. The coat ive had for as long as i could remember. An of course it was taken from me by some random Vistani. Of course it has been used to keep tabs on me by the most foul of choice removers. Of course this random act of theft lead to Rudolph’s hideout being found. Of course it lead to us arriving too late to save his life. Not so late that we didnt just miss it mind. Just late enough that we had no choices in the moment except to arrive late. An of course, in the midst of a melee the vampyr decided what he really needed was to waste his time forcing me to drink his foul taint. Surrounded by enemies and this fiend wastes his time forcing himself on others. That i think is where i came to the point where id had enough. Not only does this foul thing force himself on others. Not only does he do it in the middle of a melee. Where it should fear for its life. No. This is where, when i needed the help of my lord Lathander the most. This is where he abandoned me. An not because of anything i CHOSE to do. No, he ceased assisting me because some basterd thing forced itself into me. The Lord of Light himself showed himself to be petty an selfish right when i needed him most. An i cant in good conscience let that slide anymore than i can the fiend itself.

Thats all well an good, but it doesnt change the fact that you are standing on a lake yelling into the abyss while your fool friends ostensibly scream at a crazy person.

Ah, well… Yes. I suppose it doesnt.

An it also doesnt kill Strahd. Lets be honest, if you’re that miffed with Lathander. Find another way. No one said you couldnt just make Ravenloft fall in on top of the foul Beast. Or hell, why not simply put it in the way of the insane angel. Course, you cant do any of that right now. Ya know, because you’re yelling at a lake.. About the vagaries of fate an nonsense Dice Rolls.

Well.. I was angry ya see. An its very hard to keep ones cool when you are angry. Hell, little voice. What would you do next?

Well.. I was angry ya see. An its very hard to keep ones cool when you are angry. Hell, little voice. What would you do next?Id put on my big boy pants, march back to the crazy wizard that insists the other crazy wizard is important, an sort out their nonsense…. Without Yelling.

Well.. I was angry ya see. An its very hard to keep ones cool when you are angry. Hell, little voice. What would you do next?Id put on my big boy pants, march back to the crazy wizard that insists the other crazy wizard is important, an sort out their nonsense…. Without Yelling.Oh well… umm…

Well.. I was angry ya see. An its very hard to keep ones cool when you are angry. Hell, little voice. What would you do next?Id put on my big boy pants, march back to the crazy wizard that insists the other crazy wizard is important, an sort out their nonsense…. Without Yelling.Oh well… umm…An then, id use said important wizards to go an Kill those Druids an get the Raven folks important wine stone back.

Well.. I was angry ya see. An its very hard to keep ones cool when you are angry. Hell, little voice. What would you do next?Id put on my big boy pants, march back to the crazy wizard that insists the other crazy wizard is important, an sort out their nonsense…. Without Yelling.Oh well… umm…An then, id use said important wizards to go an Kill those Druids an get the Raven folks important wine stone back.Oh, an then i could get drunk right. Thats a plan i can..

Well.. I was angry ya see. An its very hard to keep ones cool when you are angry. Hell, little voice. What would you do next?Id put on my big boy pants, march back to the crazy wizard that insists the other crazy wizard is important, an sort out their nonsense…. Without Yelling.Oh well… umm…An then, id use said important wizards to go an Kill those Druids an get the Raven folks important wine stone back.Oh, an then i could get drunk right. Thats a plan i can..No.. I said wine Stone, not whine stone. Now, once those druids are dead. An assuming you arent either. Id move on to the witches at Old BoneGrinder. An before you interrupt, after them comes those idiot Elf folk that are stuck working for the Vistani. An dont forget to collect Ireena. An once you’re done with that Laundry list of foul things, you are gonna make sure those big boy pants are essentially sucked right up into you, make a shedload of holy water and give that Count Twat a giant fistful of burning retribution. An i dont wanna hear another nonsense peep out of you. Get to work!!!

This world is darker then you could ever imagine........

So as we began heading out of the tower , to bring Ireena inside and into a somewhat sheltered and ‘safe’ place to rest, we heard a howl and as we opened the door we saw a sight that chilled us to the bone there was a pack of about 16 wolves outside. Ireena was atop the gypsy wagon that we had seen outside but we knew that wouldn’t stop these things, so we prepared to fight in our weakened states, as the battle began that green fire appeared again and Solheil reappeared which was a light of hope for us, and as the wolves started moving towards us an arrow came out of a tree nearby and got one of the big ones right in the eye dropping it instantly, then Solheil unleashed his fireball spell and like in the Lady Watchers basement it showed why he was a mage to be respected and why you should never group up when confronting a mage it ripped their ranks apart and those it didn’t incinerate came out with severe burns and were easily dispatched. After a tough battle where we almost got the werewolf pack Alpha we made them withdraw and were ourselves able to grab all our stuff and get Ireena into the safety of the tower, along with another new person, a young woman who had dropped a big wolf with her first arrow, considering that we were short on allies and she seemed to at least not be hostile we invited her in.

Her name is Amoret and she is another follower of Lathander from Waterdeep who like Naythe was following these apparent wanted posters but not specifically to find us and we confirmed that the difference in time was for every day we spent in Barovia a full year passed back from where we had come. Once again finding common ground with another fellow Lathanderite we convinced her to help us save this land of Barovia from the clutch of Strahd and bring Lathander’s light to everyone here.

The following morning i prepared myself and made a pact with the short sword we had found in the haunted house the day we arrived in Barovia. I drew it and felt nothing odd, no compulsion to murder my friends and there were runes etched into its blade which Solheil was able to translate for me they apparently said it was named Wolfs-Eater and this allowed Solheil to remember a legend of a weapon with that name that was said to be particularly good at killing wolves and werewolves and that it thirsted for their blood. Thinking it to be fine i decided to do nothing about it that was until i tried to eat my rations and they tasted disgusting and didn’t satisfy me even making me throw them up after i consumed them. I cast Remove Curse on the sword but it didnt beak the curse like it should have but it told me how to break it, I had to consume the raw flesh of any living creature. I put the sword away and resolved to use it til i broke the curse because i may as well.

Saying our farewells to Van Richten we headed out to Krezk, we chose a path that accordingly would lead us to the Wizards of Wine Winery because most of our party didn’t trust the sign since alot of the previous ones had been wrong, but a short while down that path we ran into a group of ‘Rangers’ from Krezk looking for a young girl who had gone missing, they told us we weren’t going towards Krezk but were in fact heading to the Winery, we said if we found the girl or any trace of her we would endeavour to find her and bring her back safely. We turned around and eventually managed to get to the barred gates of Krezk, where we were told we weren’t allowed entry because we were enemies of Strahd and the townsfolk didn’t want any trouble but after some beseeching the Burgomeister said that if we went to the Wizards of Wine Winery and got Krezk’s wine shipment he would allow us entry as we had performed a favor for the town. We also learned that the girl had been found which was a blessing and some good news for us. So turning back around again we headed back towards the Winery, deciding instead of trying to find shelter in the middle of the night we would push on to get to the winery as quickly as possible, we encountered a Revenant it attacked us and seemed to have a fixation on Solheil we managed to dispatch it but (Insert the name of the new rogue here) said it would be back as they didn’t stop til they killed the evil they had been created to destroy and that they were ‘normally’ a good form of undead summoned by good gods to hunt evil and i faintly recalled seeing some of them in the church at Waterdeep. we pushed on and came to a camp of people near a sort of T-junction with one way leading into the forest and the other way leading to winery, after talking to the people we learned they all came from the Winery and that it had been attacked by the ‘Blight’ Druids who lived nearby and were normally more of just a nuisance and that the Druids had taken over and that was why the wine hadn’t been delivered. Not wanting to charge in blindly we asked Amoret if she would scout for us, she agreed and as we waited our prayers and thoughts with her, she disappeared into the darkness…….

This place is a horrifying and dark land but we have still found people who despite their predicament try to survive and live and we shall bring forth the Morning Lords glory and bring forth illumination to this darkness so that hope can be returned to everyone who lives in Barovia.

Almost Star Wars

As of the last arbitrary amount of time that things happen with, half the party had discovered Olo’s fate, while the other half were chasing the Baron’s family. The family (or, the baron’s son) decided to make a stand in the town square. The situation was tense, with both sides accused of horrors, but eventually a compromise was reached. The party would be exiled from the city, but in return they would be called when the baron became healthy, so that they could have a discussion about his rule of the town.

Upon leaving the city with their vampire hunter friend, the party was beset by a band of vistani, who demanded recompense for the deal the Olo had made to get back into the city several days ago. As Olo was now dead, they demanded someone else in the party give them payment. The party refused, and a combat ensued. Several vistani were slain, but their leaders escaped, taking Kael’s ability to cast magic with them.

Not willing to part with one of their most valuable resources so easily, the party followed the vistani to their camp. At the camp they discovered that the vistani had taken the elves of the area as their servants. The elves, of course, were not particularly happy with this arrangement, and so assisted the party by informing them that one of the vistani leader’s children had gone missing. The vistani agreed that they would return Kael’s magic if the party returned the child safely.

Unable to gather any information actually useful in finding the whereabouts of the child, the party resumed their course, heading towards the vampire hunter’s castle. However, things can’t go straight for too long, for quickly the party was interrupted by a raven. Taking this as a sign, the course was changed to following the raven, and before long the lake was within sight.

The lake had a fisherman, and the fisherman had a sack. The sack had a child, and the child was the one the party was looking for. The fisherman dumped the child into the lake, in an attempt to placate whatever monsters lived within, but the party intervened, saving the child and returning to the shore just before the lake monster became unruly, killing the fisherman. The child was returned to the vistani, and magic was returned to Kael.

Finally there were no more distractions, and the party made their way to the castle. Unfortunately nothing is good in this land, and the castle was not the vampire hunter’s at all, but simply abandoned and being used as a hideout. The front door was locked, so the way in was via a rickety scaffolding to one side of the castle. Most of the party ascended without incident, but Naythe proved too heavy for it, and it collasped. Undeterred by this event, he attempted to make entry via the front door, which the vampire hunter had assured them was unopenable. It turned out that it had a simple magic lock, requiring a basic dance to be performed to open. Naythe did so, and the party was reunited inside the castle.

Upon entering the forest our band of heroes stumbled into a man running from a large pack of wolves. This man was dressed just like a member of the church of Lathander. After a brief battle were one of the larger wolves was killed and they found out the smaller one were a possible undead magical being. Before the could leave Olo arm appeared out of no where from what seemed a miscast teleportation spell. The party discovered the man was from waterdeep and the party had been missing for 10 years. Going deeper into the forest they meet a naked boy who told them there was a safer place to sleep further down the path.

The path lead down to a house guarded by a row of screaming heads. The party gained a peaceful nights rest they meet Jeny Greenteeth. Kael traded a bunch of his hair (which everyone warned him were going to use as spell components) he learned that the Barons wife was a powerful spell caster and could rule them all if she ever used her energy.

The party then with the help of their new friend snuck back into the town and ran into the strange half elf this time dressed as Bravosi nobleman. He tells them there going to be a parade for the children and that he needs help getting his tiger out of the town. He also reviles he is a vampire hunter and he has been is hiding in this town to see if any showed up. Agreeing to cause a distraction for the heroes so they can sneak into the baron’s mansion so they c an kidnap the Baron and his wife so they can start making sense of what has happened. In the mansion the Baron himself was easily captured but the plan went sideways when the Baron’s unknown son showed up. The Son was a powerful mage is his own right and stole his father body and ran away with it. Aldrin and Solheil ran after the boy when it became apart that he had killed Olo the night before with the teleport spell going wrong While Kael and the Bard went to explore the rest of the house.

Flight through Fog

Last week in The Travels of the Knights of Light.

Our heroes, forced into hiding by the terrible Burgermeister of Vallaki take refuge in the local inn’s stable. After the fateful meeting with the Lady Watcher, the party returns to said stable weary and bedraggled. They draw straws for the watch, and turn in for the evening. As the mists grow deeper, the group become agitated and afeared, and it becomes apparent that something is not right. Dawn is a ways off when the group set out for the local church where their ward the young Maiden Ireena is staying. Having asked her to stay there, the group has become worried that something may have befalled her, and the foul weather makes their fears grow ever wilder.

At the church, they discover that the maiden had been kidnapped by the local Baron. Though the kidnapping is carried out in quieter, more insidious ways than a simple snatch and grab. When the group is separated and some of them are found on the roof, it becomes clear that Ireena is in grave danger. Purple flashes from the mansion tip off our brave heroes, and they make ready to rescue her. An yet, a queer obstacle stands in their way. The mists of Barovia themselves seem to be alive and hungry, and begin to attack our brave adventurers. The trip to the mansion goes from simp0le to perilous, and our heroes witness some true horrors in the white depths of the Mist.

An yet, they prevail. Fleeing for their lives. Dodging the foulness of the world itself, they eventually arrive. With dawn still many hours off, the party decide to quietly infiltrate the mansion and abscond with the maiden without alerting the townsfolk. To that end, one of their party heads off to create a diversion. His goal is to set a few fires, but it goes horribly wrong and soon the whole town is afire. Meanwhile, in the mansion itself one of their members is struck down by a strange trap. Though the whole affair is relatively quiet, it leaves the remaining members with a quandary. An one they must make quick work of no less, as their time is running out.

As one of the members continues with the plan and begins trying to extract Ireena, the other makes some quick desperate decisions. He stands stuck with the prospect of carrying both Ireena, his companion and his equipment. Quickly, he decides that Ireena needs help. Shes the reason they are all in this mess to begin with and it would be madness to leave without her. As such, he quickly hides his fellow along with his equipment in the attic of the mansion. The place seems relatively unfrequented, and with the commotion outside and the soon to be rescuing of Ireena, he figures there’s more than enough on the villains plate that they will likely ignore their dwelling for the immediate future. He just hopes his friend awakes before anyone is overly curious. With that, he makes an effort to cover up his interloping and contrives to enter the mansion from a different place. In so doing he and his companion manage to subdue the Baron of Vallaki and abscond with their ward into the woods. In the process they meet up with their other fellow, and see the full cost of their distraction. An yet, all they can do is remember that they saved Ireena from Madness and pray that their friend lives to see them again.

After being reunited with Kael (Kael’Thas) Galanodel and Oloneiros “Olo” Lethrift in the Stable we spent a few hours chatting about our next set of plans for helping save the town . We decided that we needed to find a replacement for the Mayor and that we should exam all other known parties in the city to find such a person. Our first port of call was the Lady Watcher as she opposed the Baron. So waiting till dark we crossed the city to her house. What we found was somewhat troubling as the house looked as if it was falling apart and wanted nothing more to do with itself. Entering the house through the back door so as not to raise alarms we were brought into the living room to meet the Lady Watcher and her pet Imp. After a brief discussion we learned she was a supporter of Strahd and not a suitable candidate for mayor. After a brief tour of the house we met her late husband who she kept in a state of recently dead. Before we were lead down into the basement a fire was discovered (lit by Aldryn Smithson) and the rest of us used it to make our escape. Once prepared we went back in to fight the evil witch and her cult. After a brief but furious battle she was defeated and the hosue cleased in Lathanders holy fire. During our flight we found a chest with a sun blade of the dawn lord. This sword will aid us in defeating Strahd and saving this poor country.

Where things are not as they seemed, and the darkness surrounds the light

So after having managed to successfully get the Bones back to the Church, we repelled the vampires as the holy Light of Lathander/ The Dawn Lord was reinvigorated. With Olo dying again and Aldryn using up a lot of his power to bring him back, we were all exhausted but we had to help put out the fires that had started spreading amongst the chaos. During this however the Baron/Burgomeister of Vallaki had his moment of everyone must stop putting out fires and listen to me, I don’t like this guy he rubs me the wrong way something chronic and so does his creepy demon armed right hand man. Anyway he announced that we (the priests of Lathander) would be helping to start off his new celebration/festival thing in a couple of days ‘Something of the Wolf’ or some such thing as that. We agreed and tried to quickly get him to finish so we could stop the town from burning down. Needless to say it was quite late when we finished and headed back to the church, but Aldryn then decided that we had to go deal with the people who were responsible for stealing the bones in the first place then and there, so upon finding out it was the gravedigger boy who had ‘coerced’ the information out of Yeska, we headed to where the Gravedigger lived in a little ramshackle shack against the town walls, he was just a kid of about 13-14 with 5 younger siblings he was trying to look after and he had been offered gold to provide the information to the Coffin-maker, upon seeing the kids situation Aldryn seemed to calm down a bit. As we left and headed back to the inn and in Aldryn’s case the church, we realised it was 2 am and we could suddenly feel the exhaustion take over and we could all barely stand. As we got into the Inn and asked about acquiring rooms, i saw another half-elf which was quite surprising, he was apparently the ring master for a circus in town and he had come from outside Barovia as well, he was delightful if a little mad but he seemed friendly enough.

The next morning we all gathered and decided to do some shopping since we now had a chance too and we needed supplies, we came across this monkey that led us to a toy shop with the creepiest assortment of toys in it, including a very disturbingly accurate doll that looked like Ireena, when asked who it was for the owner said he had been asked to make by the Barons right hand man, with the exact details given to him about a week ago. This was concerning and served to remind us that that Strahd was everywhere. We finished our shopping then had a team meeting in the church to discuss our next plan but as we did so, we saw a bunch of the townsfolk heading to the town square, as we approached it became apparent why a gallows was set up and someone was standing on the platform with a noose around his neck, upon our inquiries it was because he hadn’t been happy and hopeful enough and he had confessed after ‘questioning’ from the Mayor and the Demon armed man. This got Aldryn worked up rather quickly again, as we had already decided that the Baron and his right hand man were not good news in the first place, he quickly stormed up and tried to free the man as the Demon armed man pulled the lever. Long story short Aldryn managed to save him, but we all got marked and criminals, myself and Olo got caught as we didn’t resist being arrested hoping to have a chance to smooth this over, but they took our weapons and through us out of the town, telling us we were not welcome back in Vallaki. Solheil managed to fly away using his magic but that made everyone think he was in league with the Devil Strahd, and Aldryn managed to evade capture and find sanctuary inside the inn with Solheil who had followed Aldryn as he ran through the town. My self and Olo were greeted outside the town by Zsolt Zalenski apparently and acquaintance of Olo’s, who told us to follow him to a Vistani camp that was nearby. We arrived at the camp and negotiated with the leader for their help in us getting back into town without the guards knowing, he wanted us to kill and bring him a Raven. So we got put into crates in a wagon (fucking irony as that was how the vampires had got in) and Zsolt, drove us back into Vallaki. As we exited the crates, me and Olo tried to work out where Aldryn would have gone, given that the towns folk would report us to the guard if they knew who we were. We decided to try the Inn first as that seemed like it would at least have information and after a bit of talk with the Innkeeper we were led out to where Solheil and Aldryn were hiding. As we walked in Solheil suddenly keeled over and then quickly reawakened, but having been reunited we started trying to plan how to best solve the problem of the Baron and his ‘Demon’ because this town was clearly in need of some help and hope and we as the devoted followers of Lathander had clearly been sent here to shine through the darkness that was engulfing this town. Even though it was closing in on all sides, it is always the darkest just before dawn, and we shall be the guiding light that brings the dawn to the new day of Vallaki.

IN WHICH SUCCESS HAPPENED

At first, everyone was all “hey, why does the style of writing change all the time?” However, such cries were quickly silenced by the fact that who cares.

In actually important news, gypsies are entirely deserving of their reputation, having attempted to swindle the party out of their hard earned deeds (to buildings) by cheating at a game. The game is unimportant, what is important is that they were discovered, and upon a rematch (to determine an actually fair outcome) there was even more cheating, but the brave heroes won anyway. For this win, they received a bag of cheap jewelry, which still was useful in the creation of more holy water. Then they slept and the gypsies stole Aldrin’s coat.

Upon trying to leave the camp of these thieves, the party were accosted by a request to have their fortunes read. Against Olo’s protests, they all had their fortunes read. They were all pretty dark and fortune-y, just as you would expect from a gypsy scam.

After finally being able to leave, everyone headed towards what they believed was the route to the next town. Unfortunately this was back along the route they had traversed yesterday, so there was basically no point in getting a coat stolen. Nevertheless, the journey continued with Olo almost (but not quite) falling off a bridge, and eventually reaching a crossroads. Olo recognized this as one they had previously traversed, and convinced everyone else to go along the path they had not yet taken.

This path turned out to be the correct one, and after some walking a mill came within sight. Knowing that this was a house of a witch, our heroes headed inside, only to be quickly driven off by magic more powerful than they had the resources to deal with at the time. Therefore, the path to the town was continued along.

The town had walls and guards, which was useful. There was even a church, and happy people. Of course, the happy people were brainwashed, and so not actually happy, but automatons. The church also was not immediately good, its sacred artifact (some bones) having been stolen recently. Of course, this could not go unanswered and an investigation was started.

The investigation did not turn up much at the church, but the priest gave information leading to a coffin maker’s house. The coffin maker themselves was a very scared man, but still managed to give the location of the bones (which were in his closet, and also apparently at his house). Obviously the foul ruler of this place couldn’t not involve itself in this, and there were a bunch of vampires that almost killed everyone. Olo and Solheil (the two who investigated the house) ran for the church, while Aldrin and Kael (the latter of whom had been dispatched for reinforcements earlier, and the former decided to guard a burgermeister’s sister for some reason) rushed to reinforce.

Olo and Solheil almost died multiple times, and became separated. Solheil met with Aldrin and Kael, who together finally dispatched a different priest’s son who was a vampire. Olo managed to reach the church, where what’shisname was waiting, and trying to enter. This could not happen of course, so the bag containing the bones (and another with some money) was thrown inside (and quickly placed in the appropriate place by the burgermeister’s daughter and the priest) while Olo ended up dying (again). (Un?)fortunately, dying in this place isn’t really dying, so Olo got better (with some help from Aldrin).

Be kind today, because you may not have a tomorrow

Come one, come all! Hear tell a tale from the master storytellers. That’s right, I have for you all a tale told by a Vistani, one of the greatest tellers of tales to grace this shadowed land. Gather close. Come, sit, and listen, for today I tell a short story of the Knights of Light. I shan’t tell you the end, do not worry. Just a tale from the beginning. A story, no less, than from the knights themselves. Yes, that’s right, lean in and hear my tale good folk.
It was nearly night when the Knights stumbled into my family’s camp bedraggled and lost. Amusingly, these poor beggared folk were the heroes that the great madam Eva had predicted would arrive. So of course, we were pleasant and kind to these strangers. A remarkable feat in this dismal place, but we of the Vistani are a welcoming people. As the knights told it, they were looking for the witch of Ole Bonegrind. An amazingly foolish thing to be doing, but who were we to argue with such devout folk. An devout they were. They were clear of purpose an intent on doing right by the world. Were I not a Vistani, their resolve may even have been humbling.
Alas, I am one of the travelling tale tellers of the world so their goals were nothing surprising to me. Still, the story they told of their day. An astonishing story of terrible luck. Absolutely abhorrent luck. Really, I cannot imagine that their quest will end well when you consider them having such a terrible day. As they told it, their day began in a chapel in Barovia. Their hearts heavy with defeat, and clouded with pain. Even as they struggled to come to grips with their loss to some vampyr welp the night before, a new foulness befell them. You see, they had foolishly set out to protect a young woman the day before. A lovely young woman by the name of Ireena Kolyana. Yes indeed, that Ireena Kolyana, but this tale happens afore that one. You see, they had offered their services to her brother to protect her. An indeed, they had put themselves at a disadvantage just the past evening fulfilling that very duty. Yet, they could not have predicted the foulness that would come before the morn. For the Devil Strahd himself appeared. All quiet discipline an unassuming power, the beast himself knocked at the door of the chapel of the Morning Lord.
I know, I scarce believed it meself but the Devil Strahd was so confident of his power that not even the grounds of a church could dissuade him. The Knight Aldryn was the closest to the door. Unknowing of the danger he was in, he unbarred it. In that moment, he realised his mistake. Strahd is not short, but in comparison to the giant of a man Aldryn he seemed it. Barely lit by the predawn, he stood with the glow of torches flickering on his fine clothes and fancy silver walking stick. As Aldryn realised his error, the devil asked to be admitted. “Good morning sir, would you mind inviting me in” he asked, all unassuming politeness. The first such utterance, Aldryn refused. He had guessed at the identity of this fancy interloper you see. Yet he could not ignore the second request. “You will open the door for me” ordered strahd. Luckily, Aldryn was able to the final ardent urgings of the Devil to be invited in. “Invite me in young knight” he ordered. Aldryn responded with a loud warning to his fellows, but it was too late. The Devil spied his prize, and ordered Ireena to invite him in. You see, what the Devil doesn’t want anyone to know is, he cannot enter a dwelling unbidden. It is quite impossible for any vampyr in fact. The Devil is no different. But caught unawares with a will weakened by the Devil, Ireena was unable to resist. With not even a full sentence, she invited Strahd in.
As he strode up the vast chapel, Aldryn moved to interpose himself between Strahd and the other knights. Particularly between the Devil and his prize. “You cannot have her. We’ll die before we allow it” the knight spoke with a voice low, filled with fear. There was never any doubt in Aldryn’s mind about the price he would pay for an innocent life. That did not mean he relished the thought of it. The moment was tense as the devil considered the young knight before him. In his moment of distraction, Aldryn ordered his fellow Oloneirus to take the young woman’s life. Indeed, to my ears that seemed a cold decision. Yet, the young man uttered it with no hesitation. You see, to those knights the idea of serving anything in undeath is vile. It is the very defilement of all they stand for and they will not willingly let any soul suffer it. Faced with the unenviably unwinnable scenario before him, Aldryn felt he had no choice. Oloneirus though was not so quick to judge the situation dire. He was not willing to harm an innocent to save them. A fair enough position if you ask me. Still, his indecision and Aldryn’s resolve seemed to halt the Devil. They must have piqued his interest, for he offered them a bargain. As you and I know, a bargain with the devil is seldom a good deal. Yet, their situation was not tenable any other way. So, Strahd himself set the knights two conditions. If they met them, he would leave satisfied for the day. The first was their names. Though Aldryn had introduced himself the other knights had not. The one among them named Kael was foolish and attempted to lie. He failed, and in the attempt nearly cost them all their lives. It was enough to win over any other reluctant knights and in turn each gave up their names. This you see was just common courtesy. They knew the Devil’s name and now he in turn knew theirs.
The Devil Strahd’s second condition however would prove more costly. He asked of Aldryn a cost in blood. One day of freedom for Ireena in return for one day of feasting from Aldryn. With no hesitation and a look of utter loathing, the young knight exposed his neck. It took the Devil moments to drain the young man. It is not a pleasant thing, to have a vampyr feast on your most important fluids. Yet, the knight did not cry out nor did he whimper.
When the Devil was finished, he offered his arm to turn the young knight away from the light. And Aldryn resisted. That’s right, Aldryn Smithson. A knight of the morning lord. Refused the Devil himself and was willing to die on his word. Or so he wished. In his possible last moments, the Devil ordered him drink a second time and the knight found it too difficult to resist in his weakened state. As such, the knight of the morning lord took into him some of the taint of the Devil himself.
To Aldryn, it seemed the day they lived in was tainted just as he had been. For the rest of the day, the knights suffered from the worst luck they had ever had. They were unable to help Mad Mary, the denizen of the wailing house of Barovia. Indeed, they were unable to find any evidence of wrong doing to her daughter at all. The act of leaving the old woman with nothing but the words “we’ll find her” left a sour taste in the young knight’s mouth. Then, there was the fated trip to Vallaki. By itself a harrowing trek through dark terror infested woods.
Now though, the hike was marred by the knights tainted luck. Indeed, nearly every member of their small expedition was bitten by a wolfman that day, though none could be sure if they were infected with that dreaded curse. And then of course there’s the cursed gallows. You all know it’s a queer place at an intersection of the roads to Vallaki and Castle Ravenloft. The knights though insist it’s haunted. Apparently they saw all sorts of bizarre stuff there. They wouldn’t speak of it, though it was clear that it discomforted them immensely. Of course as with all things of real life that is where their tale ended. For afterwards they came upon us, and it seemed foolish for them to recount a tale that each of us listening were in fact living. Ha!
I know, the end does not equal the start. I will however leave it at this. Those knights, even with the foulness of the Devil striding amongst them, found their way to our camp and Madam Eva. If that was not proof that their luck had changed, I know not what else could be. An in the eve, they feasted and danced with the best of my family. So do not be disheartened my avid listeners, because the story is not yet finished and I am not yet gone from this fair town. So maybe, if I am feeling kind on the morrow, I will tell you another tale of the Knights of Light. Until then, Feast well and be kind, for as the knight himself is wont to say, you may not have a tomorrow to be kind on.

Three bites an you're out buddy

A small light flickers in a vast empty cathedral. Crouched before the altar at the head of the hall kneels a young man. His skin is light on his bones; hanging off him and sallow looking. His dark hair hangs limp on his shoulders. He kneels, brows furrowed deep in concentration. His prayers though ring through the hall with the force of his conviction.

In the name of Lathander, the morning lord. I refuse to give in to fear; to feel weakness in the face of overwhelming opposition. I will not become a victim. Nor will I allow others to do so while I yet breathe.

The mists were thick in the town of Barovia. They had lain there for decades, and may yet be there for decades more. The small band of priests moved through the deserted streets, searching for something. They had witnessed a house with some poor soul that screamed for help. They had also found an old woman peddling foul magicks to all she found. It was this hag they searched for now as she had absconded into the mist with someone’s child. The party stood before a dilapidated house, looking about for signs of the witch. They knew she had been here somewhere and thought to ask someone if they had seen something, but there was a problem. The person in this house sounded sick, like he was in need of help. Debating what they should do, they finally settled on knocking the door open. Inside, the smell of death and decay assaulted them, and following in its wake shambled the spry dead looking for a feed.

In his name, I seek out the vile and depraved of this world. I shall put them to rest, and in so doing lay my own fears to rest with them. I will spend every day as if it were my last, and take pride in all that I accomplish for Him and His people.

Having disposed of the dead and still looking for the hag, the group converged on a small tavern. To stave off the cold of the night and maybe even find clues pertaining to the Witch of Bonegrind. There, in the smokey darkness of the small inn they encountered a young man whose name was all too familiar. The Burgomaster of Barovia asked for the assistance of the band of priests in protecting his sister from the vampyr Strahd. In return, he would help them to learn all they could of the locks placed on the land of Barovia so that they may return it to the world and restore the Light of their god to its realm.

In the name of the Lord of light, I will put all other lives and hopes before my own. I will not falter regardless of the trembling of my body or the weakness of my spirit.

The beautiful young woman stood before the group clad in iron and bearing a greatsword. “I will not leave Barovia until my father is laid to rest”, she had insisted. Now here she stood ready to follow through on her words. The party could not refuse no matter how many other cries for help they may have come across. They would simply have to do the best they could for all. Collectively they hoisted the coffin onto their shoulders and headed out into the dark of the night.

I will live on despite the risks, so that I may bring His Light to all. I will share my knowledge and let all others rejoice in His Light, His Purpose.

The basement of the chapel was overbearingly dark. Oppressively so. In it stood three of the priests, weapons drawn. The young man, still healthy, steps forth with his weapon drawn. “This doesn’t need to be hard boy, we’re here to lay you to rest as the Lord would have it”, treading carefully the knight moves towards the back of the basement. The light of the lantern hanging off his belt barely illuminating the dark. As the man moves his small circle of light slowly reveals a shadowed figure huddled against the back wall. “Thirsty. So thirsty. Why do the lambs bring such light to me”, the figure darts out of the pool of light moving quicker than anything the priests had seen before. Quickly, the starving vampire attacks and drains one of the priests, and then moves towards the stairs leading out of the basement. The other two- though dismayed at their fellows plight- move to stop the creature. The creature though battered and assaulted by the priests fights savagely. The priest’s magic is only so powerful, and the creature fights with an intensity only the dead can muster. At one point, the vampyr is almost pinned and staked through the heart. At another, it is savagely burned by holy water. Yet, it fights on. Tireless in its attempts to escape.

And in the name of my family – of my loved ones – I will persevere. For it is our family and our friends that bring us the strength to overcome any darkness.

The last thing the knight sees before he collapses into the darkness of unconsciousness is the foul creature thrusting open the hatch and clambering out into the night. His last thought rings in his mind, “I am not dead yet foul thing!”

After descending into the basement pushing past a massive pile of cobwebs we discovered the family crypt. We first discovered graves for a unknown family member and an youngest child. After a few minutes of searching around the area we found a path that lead to some chanting and then the graves of the rest of the family. This prompted us to return upstairs and collect the bodies of Rose and Thorn and returned them to their graves giving them the eternal rest they deserved. The deeds achieved today will help bring the light of Lathander to this poor city. After a nights rest in the room of the children we we returned into the basement to cleanse it of the monster that lived there. In one of the rooms we discovered a new focus for Oloneiros “Olo” Lethrift so he can channel his new found magic power. This released a bunch of evil shades which after a brief battle we defeated them once again saving the town from more evil. After another short rest we continued to follow the sound of chanting into a room follow of evil relics. We planned to destroy these with the rest of house. We then found the evil alter and the source of the chanting. It was a bunch of ghost cultist. They ended up summoning a giant pile of rubbish that then attacked us. After destroying it we went to leave through the house when it turned on us. Trap after trap assaulted us nearly defeating us but with team work and the powers that Lathander we got throw it all only something happened to Ollo which will have to be addressed but over all it was a good day and we got one step closer to freeing this town,

What is this place?

As we entered the house it seemed to be unnaturally dark, almost as if the darkness was trying to conceal something. As we moved through the entry hall we found a fireplace that looked like it was ready to be lit as well as a rather ornate looking sword, as we lit the fire it brought a great deal of light to the hallway but that did little to put us at ease as it brought to sharp relief the rather creepy and macabre paneling along the walls. We left the sword where it lay, it seemed a waste to me but the others were more apprehensive about touching it, it clearly seemed to be magical of some description but they seemed to think it was cursed. As we began exploring Olo checked a room and came out so fast looking almost ready to piss himself and he said there was a wolf in the room, upon closer examination it was just a stuffed trophy in what appeared to be some sort of hunting den. As we moved through the ground floor we started lighting any fire places we came across to help illuminate the darkness and to shine Lathanders light on this forsaken place. Upon finding no way down to the basement from the ground floor we moved up to the second floor.

As we moved on through the sheer macabreness and creepiness of the house got worse with more creepy paneling and even some very odd and peculiar pictures. the second floor didnt seem to have much to it, just a couple of servants rooms and some other less important rooms for such a big household. The only exception was this library room which had a secret door in one corner where we discovered the deed to this house and a deed to a windmill as well as the will of the Rose and Thorns father there was also a letter from Count Strahd Von Zarovich, detailing how this household had apparently been a vampire household, this chilled us as that meant the children we had been comforting out on the street where probably more then they appeared and we may have unwittingly walked in to a trap. Deciding to press onward we head to the third floor

As we ascended the stairs to the third floor we noticed a rather impressive suit of Armour on the third floor landing as we approached, it sprang to life and attacked us luckily Aldryn was able to fend it off as we slung our spells and arrows at it, it crumpled to the ground and we all took a moment to breathe and survey this floor, there was a thick layer of dust as if no one had come up here for years, which was a sharp comparison to the other floors which had been spotless, as we looked around we found the master bedroom and a rather peculiar mirror that didnt reflect any of us in it, it only seemed to reflect inanimate objects. As we continued exploring we came across a children’s playroom where the Shade of their nursemaid was haunting she attacked us but again Aldryn and his shining light of courage managed to protect us as we hurled our spells and weapons at it, as we defeated her she seemed to say thank you as her soul was somewhat put to rest. this floor was the most disturbing, there was a baby crying and making nose but as we approached the crib and examined it it was just a bundle of clothe, as we rested though it started up again and we examined it again to no avail, we also made the connection that the baby may have been an illegitimate child between the maid and Rose and Thorns father and thus why their mother called it a ‘demon’. We found the secret stairs up to the attic and with the encouragement of the remaining vestiges of the maids ghost we headed upwards to deal with the ‘demon’ baby.

As we began exploring the attic we noticed a chained door with a padlock, having found a key in the study on the second floor we assumed that was what it unlocked, so we began exploring the rest of the attic for any possible traps or monsters lurking in the dark. We found no monsters but we found this rather creepy room full of mannequins that always seemed to have at least one of them looking at you, we also found the poor maids body and the blood soaked sheet she had been wrapped in but it was clear this had happened years ago as there was only bones and the blood was dry, as best as we could tell it appeared she had been killed by being repeatedly stabbed. Preparing ourselves for what lay beyond the locked door, we unlocked it only to find the skeletal remains of Rose and Thorn, as we moved in their ghosts appeared and asked who we were and to not touch their stuff. This made it clear that the things we had met outside were not who they claimed to be, we asked them questions about this house and they helped fill in a few of the gaps and they did confirm that there was a monster in the basement and that the way down to the basement was up here in the attic, there was no ‘demon’ baby. They wanted to move on and asked us if we could help put them to rest, they said the best way to do it would be to clear out the monster in the basement, they even told us where the entrance to the basement was. As we left though, they invaded the bodies of Aldryn and Soheil, they were scared and didn’t want to be left alone. As we began our descent into the basement we resolved ourselves to bring Lathanders light and shine it n the darkest of places so that we could cleanse this place of its evil and then start to bring hope to Barovia.

Entering the Mists

LASTTIME ON THISTHING

A party of brave heroes; Aldryn, Olo, Kael, and the other guy who might not be called Monka any more set out from Waterdeep. Their mission was to escort one Dawnlord Pavel Udinato to Daggerford, where he would visit a number of orphanages in the surrounding area. This was completed without issue, with the party even bringing light to many of the orphans’ hearts.

However, there was another issue. Nearby there was a shrine which was missing its spire. Searching around the nearby area, it was found that the shine was positioned in a strategic location infront of an old tomb, containing the ashes of an evil warlock. Quickly it was determined that a crane had been built, and the spire loaded onto a wagon. Following the wagon tracks through the forest, they found a cave. Inside the cave was a cleric of some unholy diety, who was attempting to use the spire to ressurect the dead warlock. Negotiations broke down quickly, and in the ensuing scuffle one of the cleric’s dominated minions was put to rest. However, the spire was reclaimed and, with the help of the now free minions, returned to its rightful place.

After the spire kerfuffle, the party returned to Daggerford to spend the night in the inn, before returning to Waterdeep. But, there can never be a restful moment in the spreading of light. A man with a strange accent approached the party with a message, requesting their aid. The message spoke of a place that did not exist, as it would require a town to be placed in the ocean. Undaunted, the cry for aid was accepted, and travel was started in the morning.

As they traveled an incredibly thick mist closed in. It was so thick that one could not see their hand infront of their face. Nevertheless, the party pushed through, eventually reaching an enormous wall in the middle of a forest, with an open gate. This place, it seemed, did actually exist. Unfortunately, upon passing the gate it closed behind them, trapping all who entered inside. This was a problem for later, when returning to Waterdeep, so the party continued through the forest, with new hope that this place did exist, and that good could be done.

The road was long and muddy, the air still full of mist. A howl in the distance. More howls. Enormous wolves. The wolves inflicted severe wounds on half of the members of the party, but retreated when they too took injuries.

A forest must always have an edge, and from the edge of this forest a town could be seen. Inside the town there were very few people, indeed only two children. The children told a story of a baby in the attic, and their parents keeping a monster in the basement. Already an awful story, they told that their parents had headed into the basement and not come out. The children were escorted to a relative’s house, and our heroes entered the house, ready to expunge the darkness.